Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 287,890 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,405,188 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 287,890 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.86% of Peabody Energy worth $301,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BTU. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $79,265,000 after purchasing an additional 215,614 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,379,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $325,000. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $248,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 105.5% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 646,152 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $13,530,000 after acquiring an additional 331,759 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Peabody Energy stock traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $12.36. 24,413,644 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,131,188. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.14. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $9.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.52.

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Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. On average, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on BTU. BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in coal mining business in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, India, Brazil, Belgium, Chile, France, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Germany, and internationally. The company operates through Seaborne Thermal, Seaborne Metallurgical, Powder River Basin, Other U.S.